I agree with a lot of the common and expected picks on here like DeNiro. My favorite current actor is probably Russell Crowe. But... with that said, I'm going to mention a few that I haven't seen that I can't believe haven't been mentioned (probably because they're older). Laurence Olivier - many regard him to be the greatest Shakespearean (or otherwise) actor of the past century. Orson Welles - Citizen Kane - many consider this the greatest movie ever and he starred in it, co-wrote the screenplay, and directed it. War of the Worlds - fooled an entire public into thinking a martian invasion was real. He was also one of the greatest Shakespearean actors ever. I remember him reading some lines on an episode of freakin' I Love Lucy that had me mesmerized, and I'm no Shakespeare fan.
I've been told by female friends you have to be a woman to appreciate that movie and one of the only reasons to appreciate is Hector/Eric Bana. lol. I've never watched it - is it really a bad movie? I like story of Troy, Helen, mythology, etc.
i thought it was pretty good. a step below braveheart and gladiator. but im not a movie snob. now music thats a different story
I'm not a movie snob (or a music snob), either. I loved Gladiator. It's probably one of my favorite movies ever.
You can check it out if you want to but this movie from my standpoint was terrible. You have guys talking in a american like accent in such a movie is wrong. Pitt turn Achilles into a hated character while you're supposed to sympathize with his actions. I don't know if he was told to play a character with lack of sympathy or range or emotion. Pitt did nothing for me. All I saw was a dumb blonde surfers playing Achilles and his younger brother. Eric Bana did a great job. You totally sympathize with him and root for him.
Don't even compare it to Braveheart or Gladiator. Gladiator is head and way way above Troy in almost every categories of goodness. Troy is just a mindless action flick with bad acting, dialogue and story telling.
ill have to admit i know next to nothing about the actual story and how it was really told. i do know there is an extended cut of that movie that may flesh it out a bit more. but if you hate that much that may make it even worse for you
ok here you go. i havent seen the extended version but here ya go here is a summary for ya .... troy - directors cut
I have watched Troy on a History channel and that was much more entertaining and fascinating then this movie. It based on Homer's poem that tell an epic battle that supposed to take place long ago. Not really a mythology so don't expect some cool fantasy stuff in it like Jason and the Argonauts or Clash of the Titans. No, extended cuts or whatever cannot save this movie for me.
Thanks, but it's the acting, directing and dialogue that kill this movie for me. The Director's cut won't change a thing. Adding new or extra scenes doesn't change the bad acting and dialogue. I mean the Director's cut for Kingdom of Heaven made more sense.
It's too hard to decide on just one actor... Paul Newman Laurence Olivier Marlon Brando James Dean Jean-Pierre Leaud Toshiro Mifune James Cagney Cary Grant James Stewart Klaus Kinski David Thewlis had a great performance in Naked and his acting is always good viewing but the movies themselves he's been in since Naked have been tripe.
you what i think is funny is edward bloom i think his name is and the amount of sword fighting movies he has been in. 3 pirates 3 lord of the rings troy kingdom of heaven hell there is probably another one or two im not even aware of, but thats eight right there.
Best depends on whether you are talking about actors who are great but really can only do particular roles. For instance Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Katherine Hepburn are great actors but don't seem to have a lot of range in the roles they play. In many ways their personalities end up defining the roles they play rather than they become the roles they play. Other actors like Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt and Ed Norton seem to have more range and are defined by how they inhabit the role they play rather than bringing their own style.
Burt Lancaster. He rarely gets his due, but he played such a fantastic range of characters. In terms of versatility, I'd stack him next to any other actor. If you're a young film buff, and you've never seen any of his work, I highly recommend that you do so. These films are some of my favorites. The Crimson Pirate - Adventure Trapeze - Soap Opera with Tony Curtis The Rainmaker - About a con artist. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - A great (though not realistic) portrayal of Wyatt Earp Sweet Smell of Success - Film Noir with Tony Curtis Elmer Gantry - Another amazing portral of a con artist Birdman of Alcatraz - At this point in his career, he was untouchable The Scalphunters - The ultimate actor's challenge. How do you make such a vile character so endearing? Atlantic City - Towards the end of his career and life, his energy still leaps off the screen. Field of Dreams - Probably on screen less than ten minutes total, but what a ten minutes!
Orlando Bloom. Definitly typecasting. He's stuck in that kind of role where only chicks can identify with him. I think it's part of his voice. Baby look and feminin body type pretty limited his role as a serious actor in the eyes of producers, directors or fans. That's what I kind of saw in Leonardo DiCaprio but he pretty much been branching out and making good choices and proving himself that he's not just another pretty face that need to play the 90210 teen type of movies.
I'm just going from people still going around now. Dicaprio - didn't think much of him early in his career but some of his movies lately he has been great in. Tom Hanks - Great guy, great actor. Norton - As has been said hes done many different roles and been great in all... very under rated in my mind. Crowe - Don't think hes as versatile as the others but hes great in his roles and picks great movies, name me a bad one? Johnny Depp Mel Gibson
Two off the top of my head (for versatility/believability) are Dustin Hoffman and Edward Norton. I don't know if you can throw Edward Norton's name in there, though, because he just simply has not been around long enough.... Heath Ledger could have been in this discussion had he been in about five more great movies..... I still need to see Death to Smoochy....
You are absolutely right about Troy. I was excited to see it but it really fell flat. Pitt was lifeless, Orlando Bloom was flat out awful... but Eric Bana was epic. I loved Hector's character. It is nowhere near Gladiator. Other than Shawshank I can't think of a movie that has an ending that gets to me every time.
